The Films of Jay Rosenblatt, Volume 1

This first volume of short works by Jay Rosenblatt—a California-based artist who has taught film and video production for nearly two decades at various Bay Area academic institutions, and is currently a visiting filmmaker at the San Francisco Art Institute—features six pieces ranging in length from 1-30 minutes. The style is allusive and elliptical, with found footage and excerpts from movies, television programs, and even commercials shuffled together to express an idea in a dreamlike, hallucinatory style. The longest selection, Human Remains (1998), for example, juxtaposes archival footage of murderous dictators—Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Mussolini, and Franco—with banal recitations of their habits and mundane interests. Two others clearly derive from Rosenblatt's personal experience: The Smell of Burning Ants (1994), which suggests how boys are introduced to the practice of macho brutality by their peers, and King of the Jews (2000), which employs clips from dramatic portrayals of Jesus to explore anti-Semitism within the Christian tradition. Short of Breath (1990) is a poetic rumination on life, death, and sex; while the brief Restricted (1999) explores the tension between repression and permissiveness in American society, and Brain in the Desert (1990)—labeled a bonus—suggests that man's presence in the wild is intrusive. These aren't films for everyone, but they have an undeniable beauty and represent a unique and powerful artistic vision. Suitable for art and cinema collections, as well as adventurous individuals, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)